Josh Hammer on Saving Western Civilization: The Bible, Israel, and Countering Wokeism

The Crisis Facing Western Civilization

• 🎯 Western civilization is facing a crisis of confidence, with three primary threats identified: wokeism, Islamism, and global neoliberalism.
• 💡 These forces are seen as actively seeking to subjugate and destroy Western civilization by eroding its foundational principles.
• 📚 Josh Hammer's book, "Israel and Civilization," argues that the Judeo-Christian tradition, rooted in the Bible, is essential for defending Western civilization.

Biblical Foundations of Western Values

• 📜 The book posits that Western civilization is largely synonymous with the Bible, tracing core values like morality, ethics, law, and constitutional structure back to Judeo-Christian scripture.
• 🤝 The Golden Rule, found in Leviticus, is presented as an example of a fundamental ethical principle with biblical origins that underpins Western interactions.
• 🇺🇸 Historical figures like Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln are cited for their reliance on biblical principles, demonstrating their influence on American foundational ideas and national identity.

The Role of Israel and the Nation-State

• 🇮🇱 The state of Israel is presented as a "canary in the coal mine" for globalists, symbolizing the defense of the nation-state against homogenizing globalist imperatives.
• 🛡️ Israel's nationalist enterprise and its historical role as the world's first nation-state are highlighted as crucial parallels to the Western concept of national sovereignty.
• 🤝 Hammer calls for Jews and Christians to unite in a joint ecumenical effort to restore and defend their shared biblical inheritance against common civilizational threats.

Constitutional Order and Judicial Power

• ⚖️ The principle that "no one is above the law" is traced back to the Book of Deuteronomy, challenging the notion that this is solely a liberal or modern concept.
• 🏛️ A distinction is made between a constitutional crisis and a separation of powers crisis, with the latter being attributed to overreaching district court judges attempting to halt federal government functions.
• 📜 The durability of the Constitution is emphasized, with historical examples like Abraham Lincoln's defiance of the Dred Scott decision illustrating how the system can withstand challenges.

Geopolitical Realism and US-Israel Relations

• 🇺🇸 The book advocates for tight-knit US-Israel relations based on foreign policy realism and an "America First" approach.
• 🕊️ The Abraham Accords are cited as evidence that emboldening Israel leads to peace and stability in the Middle East.
• ⚔️ Specific Israeli actions, such as the targeted assassinations of Hezbollah leaders, are presented as examples of how empowered allies can advance mutual interests and counter threats.
• 🇨🇳 China is identified as America's primary threat this century, suggesting a need to redeploy resources to the Indo-Pacific while relying on allies like Israel to secure regional interests.